Lesson 2:

Short Video Lecture Note Taking: There are 30 points possible. Be as detailed as possible.

Video: “What is History & the Characteristics of Civilization”

 History is the study of past human events and activities.

 Everyone can ask things about many different types of histories.
 There are historians who study many things that are different.
 Some historians study war and others can even study food.
 The pumpkin used to be a staple of American cuisine, but now people use it as
decoration.
 Historians study the past by examining primary sources.
 This is anything humans have created that can influence study.
 This can be things like a song, diary, an ancient scroll, painting, just things that do with
humans.
 They analyze these primary sources to gain knowledge and then they write secondary
sources.
 We should study the past because there are very big questions that every person may
ask in their lives.
 Wanting to know more about the world around us help to give us answers to some of
the purposes of life.
 History can prove many things that we may talk about falsely such as different
stereotypes.
 Examples can include when people say that women drive worse than men.
 Studies and resources have shown that this is the opposite and that men are actually
worse than women.
 We define personal identities by learning about family history.
 We can take lessons from our past and we analyze them to define the type of people
we are.
 If we focus on certain histories is can impact how we see others and ourselves.
 History is a reminder to many things that we shouldn’t forget.
 We should take lessons from the past that will help us for the future.
 We can also be inspired from many people that have lived in our past for guidance.
 The Bible is the ultimate history.
 Beginning in the middle east, the western civilizations there were dominantly white
men.
 History began to expand and go for a broader thing.
 Talking to people is so much different and easier now than it was in the history and
these things are very amazing to learn.
Primary Source Readings:

Study pictures of the statue the “Venus” of Willendorf. Answer the following questions using
complete sentences. There are 30 points possible.

1. Why would prehistoric man make a statue with such exaggerated sexual characteristics?
I believe as though the sexual characteristics were put in place to represent the women’s body
and bring some attention and detail to it. The statue showed the women breast being carved
out in great detail and I believe this was to show that women can breastfeed their children. Also
I think there was exaggeration on the sexual characteristics because they wanted to highlight
the body instead of the face to represent all types of women.

2. The “Venus” of Willendorf statue is small enough to fit in your hand. Why would this be
useful during the Paleolithic period?

This was useful during that period because it was able to be moved to different locations. The
people during this period had no set home and were always on the move. This also makes it
easy to hide when they are traveling.
3. What do you think the statue was used for? Why?
I think this statue was used to highlight women and show their importance. I believe this
because women are the child bearers and there were many details put into the women’s
body. The statue showed that she was able to reproduce and breastfeed. Her breasts are
well carved out and I believe as though there was a reason for that.

Online Activities:

Watch this short virtual tour of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, Israel. Answer the following
questions using complete sentences. There are 30 points possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2tha7ogpec&vl=en

1. How does this building differ from modern places of worship?

This building had many different components to it than modern places of worship have. For
example, most modern places of worship don’t have a designated place that is Holy or Most
Holy. Instead of this, there is just one sanctuary or synagogue that is designated for people
to worship. It is filled with pews or chairs at times so everyone can sit down instead of open
spaces and fine gold.

2. Do some online research and provide an explanation of the symbolism of one of the
elements of the temple you find intriguing.

The element I found most intriguing was the table of showbread that pointed to the bread of
life. This was a very important piece of furniture which was inside the Holy Place of the
tabernacle. The symbolism was a constant reminder of God’s everlasting covenant with his
people. It was also a provision for the 12 tribes of Israel and was represented by the 12 loaves.
3. Do you think Israelis should rebuild Solomon’s temple to its former glory? Why or why
not?
I don’t think Israelis should rebuild Solomon’s temple because there is so much history and
culture that was in that temple. There is so many prayers and worship memories that are in
that temple and instead of it being sacred it would be used as a tourist attraction. It would
be beautiful to remake, but I don’t agree that it will be anywhere near as important as
before.